For early and a little different, you could do a tank that fought on Sicily (sPzAbt 504 with the Herman Goerring Division) or one from Tigergruppe Meyer. The latter was a company with some unique markings. I think you can get stencils for both from rctank.de. Each used early Tigers. For mids, I'm partial to those that served in Italy.

To this point I have added Mato Suspension.
Sprockets, Idlers, Swing Arms and Roadwheels, no Ball Bearings at All, and Metal Track.

So far I'm pretty Unimpressed:

The replacement Axel Screws (Mato) that connect the Swing Arms to the Hull are Very Soft (White Metal).
So Care is needed, so as not to strip out the Phillips Head or the Threads.
Also, those Axle Screws seem a touch Long, allowing a little Wiggle (slop) in the Swing Arms.
Think this may cause problems down the road in retaining the Coil Springs, that use Friction and Allignment to keep them in place.

Next the Hexhead Axel Screws that came with the Mato Roadwheels require a different size Hex Wrench.
Apparently I'm missing this size in Inches or metric, so I reused the Original Axel Screws.
The fit is pretty Fair.

The Mato Sprockets went on easy and Fit Well.
Very Little Slop.

The Idler Wheels were a bit difficult to install.
The screw pitch is different requiring a firm hand to get the screw all the way in.
once mounted they retained quite a bit of Slop (Wiggle).

The Mato Tracks look quite nice.
Laying them out next to the Original Plastic Tracks, they seemed One Track Block too Long.
So I removed one Block from each track and installed them.
After Proper installation they Seemed Very Tight, no Sag at all from the Idler Wheels to the Sprocket.
So I added the deleted Track Blocks back, one to each side.
Now they seem Extra Saggy.

I did a test run and wound up throwing a track, port side, running on short carpet...
During a Spin... No real surprise there, but it won't do.

Gus Hi, all appears to be going well, I always think one of the best things about this hobby is the amount of learning when researching a build. Now your Driver and Radio operators hatches, the two most commonly used are MATO and TAIGEN, I would always go for the TAIGEN simply because they are pre-assembled and after you have prepared the holes for them the locating pins are their ready waiting to fit in the holes in the hinges, the MATO hatches have a lot of self assembly and are more fragile in operation and it really is just a few cents between them, whatever, I am going to watch this build with great interest. shaun

Good to know about the parts. Sounds like you need an idler adjuster. HennTec has one that you can get from rctank.de. Or, you would see what Taigen has already built. Those are a great functional upgrade.

An adjustable Idler would be Ideal...
I've read the HennTec Idler set up is a good one, if a bit Pricey?

I am pretty much decided on not putting too much Cash/Effort into this Hull over all... As there is Much to change.
Thinking that it might be better in the end to pick up a Taigen Hull to build on, if it comes to that...

Here are photos, Port and Starboard, showing the Slack I was talking about earlier.
To my eye, and judging by my test run, I need to tighten them up.

Gus hallo, In an ideal world the track should come down on the third wheel from the sprocket, but when it comes to practicality's, you want it where it stays on but still carries some slack, sorry my friend like so much of this hobby it will be trial and error although the old saying " If it looks right it is right " has a lot of truth to it.Do remember you will cause damage if you remove all the slack. shaun

Gus, to make adjustments to the track tension you will need to upgrade to a Idler tension set. Right now Henn Tec makes a kit for the HL Tiger I. The only other option would be to get the upgraded lower hull from Imex.

Gus, You probably know this already, but when it comes to removing anything with power tools on the body of the Tank the first thing I do is cut DUCK TAPE to size and fit it around where I plan cutting/filing, it saves kicking the h*ll out out of the cat afterwards! shaun

Gus, You probably know this already, but when it comes to removing anything with power tools on the body of the Tank the first thing I do is cut DUCK TAPE to size and fit it around where I plan cutting/filing, it saves kicking the h*ll out out of the cat afterwards! shaun

Simply cut the tape to fit around the Hatches and this will allow you to abrade the surface without damaging the surrounding parts of the Tank body, How are you cutting out the Hatches? I use a step drill, they are not cheap and are dependent on a certain delicacy of use I would suggest a step drill above 28mm size about 30mm is about right, A tip, I would cut from the inside of the body outwards, do not push to hard as the plastic will melt and ruin the finish, once you have the hole too size you now need to lower the plastic immediately around the hole, the flatter the better the hatch will seat, but a small shoulder is no bad thing, this is where the Duck tape will pay off because a rasp or medium grit wet and dry paper is the way to make a seat for the hatch and with the tape protecting the surround you can put some effort in with out worrying about damaging your Tank body, Ain't this fun! shaun

I personally like the mid production builds. They always seem more customized than just plain early or late. Please excuse me as I'm not trying to sell you something, just help a bit....
Our metal hull comes with upgraded suspension arms. Ours are the type held in by a set screw on the suspension arm so you dont have to worry about stripping the plastic/metal arms. It also comes with a metal torsion bar system that is pretty easy to tweak individual arms to your liking. It also comes with a metal plate to mount your gearboxes to help with flex in the chassis. You also get the rear torsion bar/track tensioner as well as the easy open latch and catch. It is quite the upgrade although I'm not sure if the Mato road wheels can be reused. Our idler wheels are now two piece screw together type (new ones ship when the T34 comes in stock) for the Tiger 1 and since they are held in by set screws they should be a lot more reliable as well.
Once again I apologize if I sound like a salesman, I really hate that.

Gus, A thought about the escape hatch, TAIGEN make an ESCAPE HATCH with a working hinge. Of course you could buy the TAIGEN METAL TURRET, that comes with the hinged escape hatch amongst other wonders, me, I like to do some of the work myself, enjoy your build. shaun

Prepping one of the Taigen Tiger Hulls to proceed with an Early build.

Picked up a set of Taigen Steel Gearboxes to drive this hull.
One issue I see, the left side looks ok, lining up with Three mounting holes.
The right gearbox seems to align with Two holes only.
Am I right in thinking I will need to Drill and Tap the missing mounting hole in the Base Plate?
Or I guess I could drill a hole in the Gearbox to match the offset Mounting Hole in the Base Plate...

Prepping one of the Taigen Tiger Hulls to proceed with an Early build.

Picked up a set of Taigen Steel Gearboxes to drive this hull.
One issue I see, the left side looks ok, lining up with Three mounting holes.
The right gearbox seems to align with Two holes only.
Am I right in thinking I will need to Drill and Tap the missing mounting hole in the Base Plate?
Or I guess I could drill a hole in the Gearbox to match the offset Mounting Hole in the Base Plate...

-gus

Yes one of the gearboxes only mounts with two screws on the Tiger 1. If you feel it necessary you can use three, but my brushless tank I just posted did pretty decent with 2 and it had a lot more torque and speed going through it. Nice primer you got going So have you decided to go full early or a mix? I have always liked the mixed builds

At this time, I have a Complete Mato Plastic w/Metal upgrades Tiger Early going, plan on going back to all Plastic on this one.
One Taigen Metal Lower Complete, that will be Early-Mid Production with Early Road Wheels and Sprockets-Idlers (Metal)...
One Taigen Metal Lower with Late Road Wheels and Sprockets-Idlers (Metal).

Have a set of Mato Tiger Steel Gearboxes that I need to see if I can mount in the Late Hull.
Also picked Up a Taigen Plastic Turret (IR).

Still need to come up with:
A couple Plastic Upper Hulls.
Another Turret.
Electronics for the two Taigen Hulls.
A set of Late Metal Tracks.
And various Bits and Pieces...

Was originally planning to Kit Bash the Mato Tiger.
But have since decided to keep it Whole and use it for my Abominable Tiger Build...

I'll get it figured out...
Hopefully without Breaking too much stuff...

Should be taking the Drivers hatches off next...
And the escape hatch on the Turret.

I Love Power Tools!

-gus

As far as cutting the hatches out. I have heard of guys using a kind of sewing thread ( nylon, I think). They drill a small diameter hole and then use the thread as a very mini coping saw. I want to try it on my HL KT, just not sure of the best type or brand of thread to use. Anyone out there experienced in this technique, I would gladly like to hear from you.
I also look forward to your build. I consider the Tiger my favorite Tank.